sanford



No. 610,372. Patented Sept. 6, I898.

J. U. SANFORD.

SAFETY COAT HANGER.

(Application filed May 31, 1895.)

(No Model.)

WITNESSES: W l/VVEIVTOR lic places.

. UNITED STATES-Y JOHN O. SANFORD, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

SAFETY COAT-HANGEVRL SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 610,372, dated September 6, 1898.

Application filed May 31, 1895. Serial No. 551,077. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN O. SANFORD, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city of New York, (Brooklyn,) county of Kings, and State of New York, have invented a new. and useful Coat-Hanger or Coat-Lock, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in devices for hanging, securing, and preventing the loss, accidentally or otherwise, of coats and other garments, especially in pub-' The nature of my invention is set forth in the claim at the end of the specification.

I attain the objects of my invention by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a front view ofa coat-rack hanging bar or strip provided with two forms or varieties of the safety devicewith locking devices in series. Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of the safety-bar and its attachments. Figs. 3, 4, and 5 are detail views of the locking device, and Fig. 6 is a detail View of another or alternative form of locking device.

Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

To the continuous-bar or strip B are secured a series of ears E, in which are secured and made pendent, hinged or pivoted thereto, the locking sleeve-bars S at or from the upper end, which bars are provided at the lower end with a keeper K, to be engaged and held by the bolt of the lock L when in the locked position.

Instead of the straight and stiff sleeve-bar S a chain 0, provided with a ball D, having a keeper K thereon and secured permanently in an eye or link P on or in the lower part of the hook, as shown in Fig. 1, may be substituted and perhaps more easily dropped through the sleeve in hanging the coat.

The lock L is provided with a key Y, preferably associated in any usual way with the lock, lock-bolt, and other devices in such a way that it can be removed from the look only when the bolt is in its most forward position, as when the safety sleeve-bar or ballchain is locked in place. Then the keeper K is out of the lock, the bolt T of the lock being thrown back, the spring G rises in front of the end of the bolt and prevents the movin g of the bolt into its forward position by the key until the keeper K has been pressed into place in position to receive the bolt. While being so inserted in-its socket the spring G is depressed and moved out of the way of the bolt by the'contact of the keeper K, traversing the several-positions shown in Figs. 3, 4, and 5 inso doing. Any other suitable means may be substituted for the spring G, the lock L, and key Y to accomplish the same results.

Another means is shown for securing the lower end of the bar in Fig. 6, in which H is a pivoted hook which drops of its own weight when uncontrolled by the bolt T ormay, be held up only by a spring, all in such a way as to permit engagement and disengagement of the hook with the keeper-socket 0; ;but when the bolt T is moved forward into the locking position it will strike the beveled surface on an arm A of the' pivoted hook H and lift the engaging or shoulder part of the hook H into locking engagement with the keeper at the bottom of the bar, consisting, say, of an opening made in the ferrule F at the lower end of the safety device or on the side of the ball D on thelower end of the safety-chain.

M is a coat hanging and secured in place by. the safetyv device passing through the sleeve and locked at bottom. The safetybar or the chain is simply passed through the sleeve and locked below the sleeve, and the coat-loop is engaged with the hanging-hook H. When the safety device is locked in place and the key is removed, the coat or other garment can only be disengaged from the safetyhanger and removed by first unlocking the safety device with the special key of that particular lock, and since the owner of the coat is supposed to take the key in charge when the garment is hung up he may expect to find it safe in the place where he hung and locked it up whenever he may desire to resume it. These safety devices may be arranged in a series and along a wall, around a pillar, or around a revolving stand and may be associated with a special hat-hook as well. The

hook may be secured to the bar B adjacent to the safety device, if desired.

The essential elements in the mechanical part of my invention are a hook or other means for suspending and holding the coat or other garment, a bar, chain, or other de vice to be passed longitudinally within and through the armhole and sleeve of the garment to be detained and protected, and means for locking the whole together, so that they cannot be separated except by the use of the special or individual key unless violence be used and injury to the safety-hanger be done.

The key being removable from the look only when the bolt is in its most forward or locked position, on the locking of the lock, say, with the safety device and keeper not engaged and secured by the lock and not having a garment hung thereon that particular apparatus cannot be inadvertently, innocently, or unknowingly used by a second comer and the coat be thereby inadvertently placed in the surreptitious control of the individual who may have possessed himself of 1 bar B, which may be a chair-rail for protect- 5 ing the wall.

absence gives notice to the proprietor of the 5 place and also to his customer of the danger 1 a safety device substantially as shown and the key for the purpose of stealing a coat. Therefore whenever the key is removed its and absolutely prevents the use of the safety coat-hanger until opportunity is given to substitute a new lock and key in place of the old. The locks and keys in each shop, coat-room, or other place being all difierent, or no two of them being interchangeable, perfect protection is afforded to the party who uses the safety coat-hanger in the manner intended. The device furnishes, therefore, not only a protection against sneak-thieves, but against mistakes and innocent appropriation of the garments of others.

It is evident that vests and other like garments, as well as coats,overcoats, and dresses, may be protected in the same Way.

The series of safety coat-hangers furnishes a cheap and effective substitute for individual closets or lockers where many persons congregate and wish to remove or change outer garments to meet the exigencies or conveniences of life.

It is of course evident that if the key be removed after engaging the keeper with the bolt the empty hanger cannot be again used until the key is found or a new look and key substituted, while if the keeper is not engaged at the time of removing the key the hanger cannot be accidentally used, since the bolt being turned the safety device cannot be locked.

The lock L is secured to or upon a lower I claim as my invention A safety coat-hanger consisting of a hook,

described adapted to pass through the armhole and sleeve of a coat and provided at its lower end with a keeper, and a lock for receiving and securing the keeper in a locked condition so that the coat cannot be removed without cutting through the sleeve and the body of the coat.

JOHN O. SANFORD. 

